PD Module 6: Building on what students already know

Author: The University of Nottingham

Students do not arrive in classrooms as ‘blank slates’, but as actively thinking people with a wide variety of skills and conceptions. Research shows that teaching is more effective when it assesses and uses prior learning so that the teaching may be adapted to the needs of students. Prior learning may be uncovered through any activity that offers students opportunities to express their understanding and reasoning. This process is often referred to as formative assessment.

This module considers the different ways this can be done and focuses on the following questions:

  • How can problems be used to assess performance?
  • How can this assessment be used to promote learning?
  • What kinds of feedback are most helpful for students and which are unhelpful?
  • How can students become engaged in the assessment process?

This module can be followed-up by PD Module 7: Self and peer assesment

Materials

  • Download: PD Module Guide Pdf / Doc
  • Download: Teacher Handouts Pdf / Doc

Activity C classroom video 1: 'Mini-Whiteboards' movie

Install the software applets

These pages require a web browser with Javascript and Adobe Flash Player 9 or newer to use the video and software.
The software applets can be browsed as part of each module. If you want to install them separately on students' machines you can download the set (and more) as a Windows installer or as Mac applications. Alternatively, they are availavble in browser-based format for any system that supports Flash.

Credits


This module has been compiled for PRIMAS from professional development materials developed by the Shell Centre team at the Centre for Research in Mathematics Education, University of Nottingham. Many of these materials were originally written for the Bowland Maths project, funded by the Bowland Charitable Trust, or for the Improving Learning in Mathematics project which was funded by the Department for Education and Skills Standards Unit.

 
Last change: 15 mei 2012
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